Just Like the Good Ol' Days...

Today is a special day.

What makes today so special?

Well... simply because it's Sunday.

In Israel, there is generally speaking, no such thing as Sunday; there is only Yom Rishon.

What's the difference?

Growing up in America, Sunday was always the day to relax, go on trips, to get various things done around the house, go shopping...

In Israel, Yom Rishon is a regular workday. This leads to the development of a number of issues:

1) People who are Shomer Shabbat have no real day to do "Sunday type" things, as even those who don't work on Friday are spending the day preparing for Shabbat.

2) Those who are not Sabbath Observant are put in a position where they have no choice but to do "Sunday type" activities on Shabbat.

3) As such, this forces stores and other places of recreation to remain open on Shabbat and puts many Jews in a situation where they feel compelled to work on the Sabbath in order to make a living.

4) Tension is created between religious and secular as to the character of the State on the Sabbath. The religious, by and large, want public places (such as movie theaters and shopping malls), as well as public transportation to be closed on Shabbat, as well as having streets that run through religious neighborhoods closed to traffic.

On the flip side, many secular Jews feel that this is their only day to go out, and that the religious need to be sensitive to that.

All in all, a little bit of Sunday in Israel could go a long way to easing some of the tension that exists here.

The party Yisrael B'Aliyah headed by Natan Sharansky put the idea of bringing Sunday to Israel on its platform, but the party didn't go anywhere...

While I don't see the concept of Sunday being brought to Israel anytime soon, I am going to do my best to enjoy this Sunday to the fullest.

Can anyone say Football!!! Let's Go Giants!!!

Israel
Zionism
Judaism